Lebanon Says Israeli Troops Built Earth Barrier in Village

Lebanese officials say Israeli troops entered a village in southern Lebanon in the middle of the night and built a dirt barrier. This happened on August 7 in a village called Zawtar al-Gharbiya. The village was supposed to be under the control of Lebanon's own army as part of a peace deal. Lebanon called the action a violation of that agreement.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported the news on August 8. It said an Israeli force moved into the village shortly after midnight and put up an earthen barrier near the town square. A journalist who visited confirmed the barrier was there, at the village's eastern entrance. Local authorities were not sure if any Israeli soldiers were still in the area.

Zawtar al-Gharbiya is one of two special pilot zones set up under a peace framework that the United States helped organize. Under this deal, Lebanon's army was supposed to take control of these zones while Israel slowly pulled back its forces. Lebanon's army moved into the village on July 21, and about 50 families had returned home since then. Mayor Abed Ezzeddine said residents were surprised to find the barrier about 100 meters from the town square.

The conflict started when Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran, began firing rockets at Israel. Israel responded with a major bombing campaign and sent ground troops into southern Lebanon. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, more than 4,300 people have been killed. Hundreds of thousands more have been forced to leave their homes.

Under the June agreement, Lebanon was supposed to disarm Hezbollah, and Israel was supposed to gradually withdraw its forces. However, Hezbollah has refused to give up its weapons. Israel has also continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon even though a ceasefire has been in place since June. Lebanon and Israel held their seventh round of talks in Rome on August 6, but they did not make much progress.